This section provides background information which is not necessarily prior art to the inventive concepts associated with the present disclosure.
Automotive closure members, such as lift gates in general, provide a convenient access to the cargo areas of automotive vehicles, such as hatchbacks, wagons, and other utility vehicles. Typically, the lift gate is hand operated, requiring manual effort to move the lift gate between open and the closed positions. Depending on the size and weight of the lift gate, the effort required to move the lift gate between open and closed positions can be difficult for some users. Additionally, manually opening and/or closing a lift gate can be made inconvenient, particularly when the user's hands are occupied.
Attempts have been made to facilitate opening and closing lift gates, such as via electromechanical struts. Electromechanical struts typically have a linear actuation assembly including a lead screw and a nut tube, with rotation of the lead screw causing linear translation of the nut tube, which in turn is operably attached the lift gate. Accordingly, rotation of the lead screw causes the lift gate to be moved between open and closed positions. Although these devices generally prove useful in reducing the effort required by the user to move the lift gate between open and closed positions, the devices can be subject to the ingress of contamination, and further yet, can exhibit lateral play and undue friction between linearly translatable components, thereby subjecting the devices to unwanted corrosion and wear, which can result in a diminished useful life of the device, while also resulting in undesirable noise and an overall perception of poor quality.
It is therefore desired to provide an electromechanical strut for opening and closing a vehicle trunk lid, door or lift gate that obviates or mitigates at least one of the above-identified disadvantages.